When I Met You

By: Aubrey

Hello there everyone. My name is Aubrey. Don’t let the name fool you, just like my audience, I'm gay as well. And I'm going to share to you my love story.

Let’s begin first with a little description. I'm from Baguio, currently taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management in a well acknowledged university. I'm a 5 foot and 8 inches tall kind of person. My friends knew I was gay the start and my parents too from. My family used to live in Hawaii but we decided to move back in the Philippines because education was cheaper here.

They accept me as long as I don’t do anything that might harm the reputation of my family. But still, I'm quite open about my gender and people would get disappointed to see a handsome guy act all feminine and what not. Yes what you read is true, I'm not afraid to show the world who I truly am. Id love to walk with my hips swaying to the sides and fly kisses to cute guys that I’d bump into. (Laughs)

First day in college was a blast and immediately I had lots of friends. All of which are girls and gays too. We were an indestructible barkada . We proudly walk and flaunt the hallways and laugh aloud so much to the point we get scolded five times by the same teacher. It’s really fun but I only had one problem. I was bullied.

His name is Mark. He’s already a sophomore in BSHRM and he’d hang out with his group of arrogant, gullible and ego-centric posers! They also own the hallways and they always loiter in their favorite spot, the stairs which is really irritating because of all the places they can be monkeys and douche bags, it’s the stairs, which is the only way to leave after finishing my classes on the third floor.

Going back to Mark, he was quite scary at first. He always had that angry expression in his face that matched his punk rock style.

My first encounter with him was when I first left the classroom in a diva fashion, you know, strutting like a model with an eye brow raised, then there he was with his barkada and they looked at me as I way approaching them. I didn’t mind at first but I was so intrigued at how Mark looked at me. He was glaring at me until I finally passed him. It was really scary because I felt I was being watched over by a freaky psycho.

The days passed by and it’s the same thing. I would take the stairs and he would keep staring at me with those angry eyes. I tried to ignore him and won’t let that ruin my day until….

“Hoy bakla! Huwag ka ngang rarampa-rampa ng malandi dito!” Mark said as I descended away from him. I looked back and he was still glaring at me while his friends laughed. Honestly, it hurts to hear those words because from the start I didn’t do anything to those guys. And this progressed for weeks. Insults, jeers and discriminating jokes attacked me and Mark started it all. I cried a lot whenever I go home and my friends comforted me and advised me to just ignore them. I promised and I did but what really confuses me is why I was their main target? Why was I the butt of their jokes? What did I do to deserve this torture?  I felt soooo depressed and I always wished that they would transfer my classes to another building so I could avoid Mark and his friends.

It was our Semifinals and I was the first one to finish my exams. It wasn’t that hard because luckily I had my handy- dandy notes with me. I left the room but was shocked to see Mark and his friends blocking the stairs again. Do these people even prioritize studies??? I thought. I had no choice because I was really hungry so I bravely walked with my head down towards the group. They suddenly got quiet when I reached for the railings then…

“Mukhang suplada ang baklita natin ngayon. Kulang siguro sa tsupa ito eh.” Those words came from Mark. I froze in my tracks. I was freaking furious. I thought, If I keep enduring these people every day, I might die from depression! My mind ordered me to fight. I looked back at him and he was smiling up to his ears.

I was so mad because this was the last straw. I had enough and it was time to confront them.

“Ano bang nagawa ko sa inyo at ako ang paborito niyong pinagtitripan ha?”I screamed at their faces. I didn’t care much if other students heard me from their rooms. I hated Mark and I hated his friends.

Mark smirked and stood up, still smiling. He first looked at his friends and nodded before saying

“Kasi ayaw namin sa mg bading, gets mo? Kaya ikaw, magpakalalaki ka na dahil ang malanding bakla parang isda, umaalingasaw ang amoy na malansa!”

My vision suddenly blacked out. All I remember is that I punched Mark’s face really hard and it made him fell. Then I charged at him, lashing out punches at his face and torso and all he could do was shield himself with his hands. His friends got rid of me from him and restrained me until he was able to stand up.

“Putang ina kang bakla!” he punched me in the guts. It was painful and I conditioned myself because he was about to punch me in the face but that didn’t happened because my teacher came to my rescue.

Guidance office. I was sitting beside my teacher and Mark sat in front of me with another teacher holding his shoulders just in case he gets wild at me. That incident caused a lot of ruckus and my parents were called up as well as Mark’s mom.

“Mr. Perez, pwede naman pagusapan nalang natin ito.” Mark’s mother begged at my parents while she was holding Mark’s hand.

“I'm sorry but I never knew na binubully pala ang anak ko sa school na ito.” Mom said in an angry tone. She was so mad because she had to cancel an important meeting at work and I was scolded later at home and it’s all Mark’s fault!

“Both students will get punished because Aubrey assaulted Mark first.” The guidance counselor said.

“That’s ridiculous!!! My son was verbally and emotionally abused everyday and it’s all that kid’s fault!” my dad pointed at Mark.

“Mr. Perez, calm down, this is our school’s policy and dapat po sana nireport ni Aubrey ang pagbubully ni Mark at mga kasama niya.” I rolled my eyes. Great! Now I have to be suspended for two days thanks to Mark!

“Magsorry ka na Mark.” His mom pleaded at him. Mark stood up from his chair and stared at me for five seconds before he said.

“Ayoko! Ayokong magsorry sa isang bakla!” then he ran outside leaving me, my parents, his mom and the guidance counselor, dumbfounded.

Second semester. The gossip of how I confronted Mark and his friends was still in effect and the people around me were really irritating because they asked a lot of questions. One of those was if I was the reason why Mark wasn’t coming to school anymore. It’s been two weeks and still no sign of him anywhere in the campus. Even his friends stopped staying near the stairs which made me really happy. I felt relieved because I will never ever be bothered by Mark again.

“Uy Brey! Alam mo na ba yung chismis?” Fe asked me while we were waiting for our next class.

“If it’s about Mark, count me out!” I wasn’t in the mood for letting these petty gossips ruin my day.

“Yeah, tungkol kay Mark nga, alam mo di daw siya makakapasok ngayong semester na ito kasi wala daw siyang pangtuition.”

“Ah…” somehow I felt sad for the bully because I learned from my conversation with Fe that Mark’s parents got divorced and the he’s living with his mom who’s just a government employee and she has to support Mark and his three siblings.

But my feelings of anger still rose above my pity for him. Who cares now that he’s gone??? Now, I can live on with my life without the thought of ever seeing that bully anymore.

It was my second year in school and my parents decided to let me stay near a dormitory near our school campus because I had a hard time commuting back and forth and I was always late for my first classes. It made me happier because I get to spend more time with my some of my friends who were also renting nearby apartments and boarding houses.

Until one rainy August, I didn’t expect to see a familiar person standing and seems to be waiting for someone in front of my dorm’s gate. Guess who. It was Mark.

He still had that punk rock style going on but when I looked at his face as he faced my direction, I noticed tears falling off his cheeks. I was stunned to see my former bully crying. He looked so sad. Maybe too sad.

He quickly wiped his tears when he noticed me approaching the gate.

“Hi.” It was simple but I felt sincerity from his voice.

I looked at him once again and I could feel he was in some deep shit. I mean his kind of sadness was indescribable. I couldn’t put a finger on it.

I decided to ignore him because my pride commanded me to march in our dorm because all the things he did in the past just kept coming back.

“Aubrey…” he called. That was the first time I heard him call me by my name. Again, I looked backed.

“I'm sorry.” He said.

Some part of me wants to hit him in the head with my three inch thick manual that I had in my hand ‘coz I thought he was really stupid to think I would forgive him that easily but at the same time I could really feel like he was sincere. I mean, I'm not as gullible as you think I am but I could really tell if a person is lying or not. But again my pride got the best of me that time and I decided to shut the gate in front of him. I was really mean back then because I wanted to make him suffer the way he did to me in the past.

When I got up to my room and looked through the window to see if he was still there, I was surprised to see him sitting in the waiting shed just across the street. He probably thought he could wait for me to come out and ask for forgiveness again but I just shrugged my shoulders and decided to watch television in our dorms’ living room. After two hours, I looked outside and it was dark but that didn’t hide the fact that Mark was still sitting at his spot and never moved an inch. I got scared because he maybe planning something really conniving but maybe he was really desperate enough to wait for me to come out.

I finished my dinner and it was already 9:00 pm. Out of curiosity, I checked again if Mark was still there and he was! Damn, I don’t need this kind of drama because I'm really tired that time so I decided to hit the sack.

I woke up the next day and looked through my window to see if my so called stalker was still hanging around. He wasn’t there anymore. Good, now I could go to school with a sigh of relief.

The day ended in its usual routine. As I walked from my school toward my dorm, I saw Mark again but this time, he was talking to the dorm’s landlady. I quietly approached the gate’s door hoping Mark wouldn’t notice me and start his weirdness all over gain but to my misfortune, the landlady called my name and Mark looked at my direction.

His expression changed from yesterday. He wasn’t crying but he had that apologetic look. He slowly walked in front of me.

“Hi Aubrey, pwedeng mag-usap tayo?”

I wasn’t in the mood actually. I shook my head and proceeded inside the vicinity. Again, I slammed the gate, making sure that he gets my message. But later that night, I learned he was in the waiting shed thanks to the watchful eyes of my other dorm mates.

His waiting charade didn’t stop there. It progressed for weeks and every day I would find myself hurriedly running inside our dorm just to avoid him and his apologies. I was so irritated and I even had to say ridiculous alibis to my classmates so I could go to our dorm earlier.

It was the last week of September and I decided to confront him because he was already getting on my nerves. It was a Monday and rain poured heavily. Good thing I brought an umbrella. I conditioned myself for our confrontation. I decided not to show mercy and go with the negative approach which involves a lot of shouting and referral to the proper authorities. But those things never happened when I saw Mark.

In the waiting shed were a lot of people, probably waiting for the rain to stop. I couldn’t see Mark anywhere. Maybe he didn’t show up because of the weather. But I was wrong. From behind the group, a familiar figure emerged from his seat. He looked at me first to confirm if I was the one he was looking for. He then, without care, walked under the rain without an umbrella and approached me.

“A-aubrey, H-hi.” I can sense he was shivering from the cold. But I didn’t care, all I wanted was to end this madness and send him off from where he belongs. I was about to open my mouth when his faced grimaced. You know the one you make when you suck a lemon. Then I heard he was breathing deep and slowly. I was shocked to what happened next. He suddenly looked wobbly and next thing I knew, I was holding him in my arms and trying to balance the both of us because I didn’t want to make a scene in front of all the people out there.

It seemed like he fainted but I could hear him groan. When his neck touched my cheek, it felt hot and then I realized, he was down with the flu. His body weight was mashing up against me so I called the landlady who, luckily, came out just in the nick of time to help me accompany Mark inside. He was able to walk but I could really feel that he was having a hard time. When we got inside, I asked permission from our landlady if he could stay for the night because he was really sick. She agreed because the weather was already crazy outside. So I took him into my room which was conveniently located on the first floor.

I carefully placed him on my bed. I didn’t have a roommate at that time because he decided to go abroad. Mark was shivering as I took off his clothes and I let him wear my extra clothes that were a little bit small for him but at least he had something to wear. I covered him with two blankets and hurriedly went to the kitchen to soak a small towel in a basin. I didn’t know what I was doing at that time. I suddenly changed from a heartless person to an instant nurse and it’s all because my pity for him grew ten times more than my pride. I guess I didn’t want to see him sick. I nursed him until he stopped shivering. I did everything my mom does when I was sick. The menthol rub, the tepid sponge bath, the warm nilaga soup and some paracetamol and it all worked. I even heard him snore.

I still can’t believe in what happened today. I mean, I should be ending this crazy person’s desire for my forgiveness, but I didn’t. I felt sorry for him because he got sick just for waiting for me. I placed my palm on his forehead to see if his temperature improved. He was a little bit warm then a strange desire from within possessed me and urged me to look at his face.

Even though he had this punk rock style going on, his face was actually angelic up close. His eyebrows are thick but only if you look carefully. He had a fair complexion and his lips were probably his best asset because even though they were thin, they were pink and soft. I gulped. Yes at that time, I thought Mark was attractive. I was about to stand up from beside him when he opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Aubrey…” he said weakly.

“Don’t get up, you need to rest. Mahina ka pa.” I turned my back away from him but he stopped me from leaving by holding my hand.

“Please, gusto lang kitang makausap.” This time, his eyes were already begging. I didn’t know what got over me but I just found myself sitting again at his side. He positioned himself with his back against the headboard.

He brought out a sigh. Then he bit his lower lip. “Aubrey…Gusto ko kasing sabihin sa iyo, yung reason kung bakit hate na hate kita noon.”

I was shocked but I was curious at the same time. This is it.

“ Kasi… Yung tatay ko… iniwan niya yung mommy ko dahil bakla siya.” I was shocked but only for a second.

“Love ko yung mommy ko at hinding hindi ko mapatawad ang daddy ko dahil sumama siya sa boyfriend niya. Araw-araw, hindi maalis sa isip ko na bading ang tatay ko at kung gaano niya nasakatan ang nanay ko nung sinabi niya dito na bading siya. Nagtanim ako ng galit sa kanya at nagtanim din ako ng galit sa mga bakla.”

Everything was starting to make sense. No wonder he hates me so much. I understand now why he was such a bully to me.

“Yun yung reason kung bakit binubully kita noon. Malaki kasi ang galit ko sa mga inaasta mo kaya di ko mapigilang maalala ang daddy ko. Kung paano niloko kami ng daddy ko at iniwan kami.” His eyes were staritng to cry. I just listened because I was speechless from his revelations.

“Pero hindi lang yun ang reason kung bakit ako pumunta dito.” My eyebrows met from what he said. There’s more? I thought.

“Aubrey…bakla din ako.” BOOM!

What the fuck? Shit! Totoo??? Di nga? Those were the questions that were running in my mind. Bakla si Mark???!!!

“Nalaman ko ito nung iniwan kami ni daddy. Nagumpisa muna ito sa isang pakiramdam na hindi ko maipaliwanag hanggang narealize ko na bading din ako. Naguguluhan ako kung ano ako nung time na iyon kasi naghalo ang galit ko sa daddy ko at sa mga bading hanggang sa narealize ko na hate na hate ko sarili ko dahil bading din ako.” He started sobbing.

“At kung nakikita kita lagi noon, parang gusto kong saktan ang sarili ko. Hindi ko lang kayang aminin sa sarili ko dahil ang sakit na marealize mong isa ka ding bading na kinaiinisan mo. Na depress ako.”

“Pero hindi ko na kinaya. Ipinagtapat ko na sa mommy ko ang lahat dahil sa nangyari sa atin. Tinanggap niya pa rin ako dahil di niya ako masisisi.”

I wanted to hug him but I couldn’t. He was in some really deep shit. It’s hard because he was going through a stage called identity crisis. I felt sorry for him.

“Gusto ko lang sabihin sa iyo ito dahil nakokonsensya ako sa mga ginawa ko sa iyo noon. Hipokrito siguro ako ngayon dahil hindi ko man lang tanggapin kung ano ako na siya ring kinamumuhian ko.” He covered his face with his two hands. He must be feeling embarrassed. My body just finds its way towards him as I hugged him and laid his head on my shoulder.

“Shhh…Tahan na. I'm not mad anymore now that you’ve told me everything.” He faced me but he was still crying.

“What happened to us back then is now all in the past, forget about it. From now on let’s start fresh. A clean slate.” I offered my hand. He first looked at it and smiled.

“Sige, sige, salamat. Salamat talaga Aubrey.” He held my hand tightly and shook it very hard.

“And if you need someone to talk to, a friend, I’m here whenever, wherever.” I said before letting go of his hand. He stared at me for a few seconds then rushed in to hug me.

“Ang bait mo Aubrey, salamat talaga.”

“Okay, okay, can you stop hugging me now coz I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. Naabala ka pa sa akin dahil nagkasakit ako.”

“No biggy. I'm just glad I was enlightened from your explanation.” He then bit his lower lip and looked away from my eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your secret. Promise.”

“Salamat Aubrey. Hindi ko kasi alam kung kaya kong sabihin sa mundo na bading ako.”

“You just need time, and in the right time, you can accept who you are because that’s what your heart is telling you. I'm here to su.” I didn’t know whport you whenever you need me.” I just felt like I need to say that in order to make him feel better.

The next day, his fever went down. He even woke up early just to fix himself up because he needs to go home early and his mom might be waiting for him.

“Salamat sa pagaalaga mo at pakikinig sa akin.” He said as we went out through the gate.

“Wala yun. Just follow what you think will make you happy.”

He just nodded and rode the jeep that approached our dorm. He texted me after thirty minutes that he’s at his house and he got scolded by his mom.

So yeah, we became friends. He would text me constantly but I would never bring out the topic about his sexuality. He would sometimes come to my dorm and hang out. He’s not such a bad person after all. I learned a lot from our everyday encounters. He’s studying at a different university in which his mom can afford. He was often times reserved and soft-spoken but at least he laughs at my corny jokes. Maybe because he hasn’t adjusted yet.

One day, he came to my dorm crying.

“What’s wrong Mark?” he didn’t answer and instead he hugged me.

“Y-yung mga kaibigan ko… di nila ako tinanggap…di nila tinanggap kung ano ako…wala na akong kaibigan.”

He told me before that he decided to tell his friends because he thought that if his friends accepted him for whom he was, he would slowly be comfortable about his sexuality.

“Shhh.. you don’t need those people for you to love yourself…”

“Akala ko kaibigan ko sila Aubrey…Iniwan nila ako…Hindi na nila ako kakausapin.”

“Maybe they were just shocked from your news. Give them some time. And besides, I'm your friend and I’ll never leave you.” This time, I think I said those things because I didn’t want to see him sad. I didn’t want to see him cry.

“Talaga?”

“Promise.”

He hugged me tightly. In order for me to help him out, I introduced him to my barkada. They were skeptical at first because they knew how he bullied me back then but with Mark’s permission, I told them everything and they understood but they still didn’t trust him entirely. So now, Mark was a new addition to the barkada. He wasn’t that hard to like because he was friendly. He now has new friends.

“Salamat.” He said to me while we were at my dorms balcony on a January evening.

“Saan?” I gave him a cup of hot choco.

“For being my friend. Tinanggap mo ako kahit sinaktan kita dati.”

“Wala yun. What’s important is I have a new best friend.” He smiled at what I said. I saw a different Mark that time. He was glowing with happiness. He even changed his looks. He used to wear tight pants with black t-shirts but now he wears cute polo shirts with jeans. He even shaved his mustache which even brought out more his cuteness. Ugh! I can’t help but stare at his face. He was now the boy next door. He was crushable.

“Uyy! Bat ka natulala dyan?”

I snapped out of my ownn world. “Nothing. Gwapo mo eh.” It was a joke with a hint of truth.

He laughed. “Thanks best friend. Ikaw din, maganda ka.” We both laughed.

“Che! Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“Hmmm…Pwede. Cute ka kasi kaya flirtable ka.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“There’s no such thing as flirtable!!!” and we laughed the night away.

Months pass by and we were both third year now because he missed a semester. I was in my Accounting class when I saw this cute guy in front of the door. I was sitting at the back so I couldn’t figure out who was peeping in our room. I squinted and to my disbelief it was Mark and he was wearing his school’s uniform. The people in my class started gossiping because they knew who Mark was and the secret of his sexuality reached our section when his friends decided to spill the beans.

“Ano yun iho?” our instructor asked. She didn’t know who Mark was because she was a new instructor for Accountancy.

“Maam, pinapatawag po si Aubrey po sa DEAN’s office.” Mark said casually.

“Okay, Mr. Perez please proceed to Mrs. ______ but be sure to come back because we have a quiz.”

“Sige po maam_____.” I pulled Mark away from the door as he waved to my friends who were also part of our barkada.

“What did I do now?” I uttered to myself as we approached the DEAN’s office but Mark stopped me and told me to follow to the rooftop.

“What are we doing here Mark?”

“Nagsinungaling ako. Hindi ka pinapatawag ng DEAN mo, I just wanted to see you, that’s all.”

Honestly, nakilig ako dun sa sinabi niya. But at the same time I was shocked because he was that brave to come here to our school and lie to my teacher.

“Gago! You ‘ll get me in trouble if my instructor finds out that I haven’t been to the DEAN’s office! And I have a quiz later!” I lightly punched his arm.

He just laughed at me. “Relax…hindi naman nila malalaman dahil may sasabihin lang ako, pero unang-una, di mo ba ako namimiss?”

My heart raced. I noticed that Mark was becoming affectionate in these past few weeks. He would greet me with a hug and whenever we would talk, he would hold my hand and smile at me differently. I didn’t put much thought in his new attitude because maybe he was just malambing.

“Of course I miss you, but we could always meet up later.”

“Birthday ko ngayon.” He said with a proud smile.

My jaw dropped. I knew about his birthday last month but I wasn’t aware it was today. I felt embarrassed because I forgot!

“Sabi ko na nga ba! Nakalimutan mo noh? Kaya pala hindi mo man lang ako grineet sa text .” He pouted which even made him cuter.

I gapped his hands. “No, sorry, I just spaced out!”

“Ang sabihin mo, naamnesia ka kaya di mo naalala ang birthday ng best friend mo.” He was joking but you can sense that he was disappointed.

“Let me make it up to you, I’ll treat you at Shakey’s.”

“Wag na. Punta ka nalang sa bahay namin mamaya pagkatapos ng last subject mo, Hihintayin kita. Di kami maguumpisa kung wala ka.” He pinched my cheek but I didn’t mind. I was caught by his trance. He looked so handsome as the sunset hit his face. Like the ones you see in romantic movies.

“I will Mark. I’ll text you. I'm really sorry I forgot.”

“Hehe. I can’t blame you future magna cum laude…”

“Di mo pa ginawang Suma!” we laughed and he led me back to my class. I hurriedly left the campus to go to SM just to buy him a gift. I cursed myself for forgetting his birthday. I had to make up. I saw a nice pair of sneakers because he had worn out shoes so I wanted to give him something that he can use. I purchased the item and rode the taxi to his barangay. I was already in front of the house’s gate and I could hear music and laughter. Maybe there are a lot of people.

“Nandiyan na ang best friend ko!” Mark screamed as I entered the lot. It was a cozy place. Very homey if I might add. Everyone cheered as he proudly introduced me to his family, relatives and to my surprise even my barkada was there! I was so ashamed because I was the only one who forgot my best friend’s birthday. I made a sad face which Mark noticed as he handed me my spaghetti.

“Oh!? Ba’t ang lungkot ng mukha mo?” he sat beside me.

“I just feel like I’m a bad best friend because I forgot your birthday. ”

He grinned and tapped my back. “Hakuna Matata (No worries), ang importante, nandito ka ngayon sa pinakaspecial na araw ko, masaya na ako.”

I smiled back. Bait niya eh. “Oo pala,I brought you a gift.” I gave him his present.

“Wow! Astig! Salamat best friend!” he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. I was stunned for a while but seeing him so happy made me forget he kissed me.

“Happy birthday to you!” after we sang, Mark blew the candles from his cake.

“Anong winish ng anak ko? Mukhang may pikit-pikit ka pang nalalaman.” Mark’s mom said.

“Secret!” then everyone laughed. “Speech!” Mark’s cousin, Henry screamed and everyone agreed.

Mark stood up from his chair with a bottle of coke in one hand. “Unang-una, salamat at dumalo kayo sa birthday ko, salamat din na tinanggap ninyo ako, kahit ano ako.” He paused and smiled at us. “Ako na yata ang pinakamasayang tao sa buong mundo dahil masaya ako minamahal niyo ako kahit….bading ako.” I never knew he had very supportive relatives despite his problems with his dad.

“Also, gusto kong ipakilala sa inyo yung taong tumulong sa akin na tanggapin ko ang aking kasarian. Tinulungan niya ako na sundan lang ang nasa puso ko. Tama siya. Sinundan ko at unti-unting nagiging peaceful na ang takbo ng buhay ko. Masaya na ako dahil…” he looked at me and smiled.

“…Dahil siya na ngayon ang pinakamamahal kong best friend.” He reached for me with his hand. I hesitantly took it and he pulled me to stand by his side. “Aubrey, thank you for being my guardian angel.”

“Uyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I felt goose bumps all over my body. He looked at me as if he was really lucky he had me. I never felt so special.

“Kiss! Kiss!” I wanted to throw the cake at my barkada for teasing me and Mark but suddenly he kissed me on the cheek which took me off guard.

“Ikaw din Aubrey!” hollered Jessie.

“Oo nga!” Henry seconded.

“Sige na best friend. Sa cheek lang naman.” He turned his cheek at my direction. I felt my cheeks turn red because he wants me to kiss him! This is absurd!  I might die of too much kilig! But sadly that didn’t happen because an unexpected person arrived at the party. Mark’s dad. (Gasp!)

Everyone stared at the visitor. He was tall like Mark and there was some resemblance. I got nervous for expecting what Mark’s reaction might be but when I looked at his face, he was kinda calm and cool.

I was sitting on the bench with Mark’s mom and we talked while he and his dad had some heart to heart conversation.

“So tita, what do you think, honestly, are they talking about?” I asked. I was so nervous because Mark might do something scandalous especially since he told me he wasn’t in good terms with his dad.

“Well Aubrey, napatawad ko na ang tatay ni Mark noon. Aminado akong nagalit din ako at nanghinayang pero alam mo, nung time na inamin ni Mark na bading siya, naiintindihan ko na kung bakit may matindi siyag galit sa kanyang ama at parang depress siya araw-araw kaya kinalimutan ko na lahat ang ginawa ng dad niya for the sake of my son kasi I understand now how my husband feels sa ipinapakita ni Mark and it must be hard for him to hide to hide bilang bading all these years.” I nodded in agreement.

“But then again, hindi ko siya masisisi dahil na rin siguro sa pressure ng parents niya kaya nagpanggap siya. I just wish he could have told me sooner pero I'm happy for him that he’s happy now and I'm happy for Mark dahil tinulungan mo siya.” She held my hand.

“Walang anuman tita.” After a few minutes, Mark and his dad came out of the house. They must’ve finished speaking to each other. They approached our direction.

“Siya ba si Aubrey?” his dad asked as he pointed at me.

“Siya nga po dad.” Mark said.

“Its nice to meet you.” We shook hands. “I can see why my son likes you a lot.” He said smiling.

“Dad!!! Ano ba? Huwag mo naman akong ipahiya sa harap ni Aubrey oh.” Mark scratched his neck in embarrassment.

“Ikaw naman, jinojoke lang kita…Sige, kailangan ko nang umalis kasi may flight pa ako in the next few days papuntang Cebu.” He looked at Mark’s mom. “Janice, salamat sa lahat.” She just smiled and hugged him. I looked at Mark’s reaction again but this time he was smiling.

“Mark?” I called his attention because he was staring at the starry night at his house’s balcony. It was already 11:00 pm and everybody went home after a fun night. Mark convinced me to stay and sleep at his room.

“Yes best friend?”

“Not that I'm eavesdropping in your family matters but I can’t help but wonder how you reacted when you saw your dad a while ago.”

He was silent for a few seconds then he gave me smile. “Sa totoo lang best, Na-shock ako nung una pero mas nanaig ang saya ko nung makita ko siya at nagtataka din ako best dahil….dapat nagalit ako di ba?”

I just nodded. I was also expecting him to be furious and cause a scandalous scene when his dad arrived.

“…siguro kasi best… dahil sa natanggap ko na ang sarili ko kaya tinanggap ko na rin siya. Nagsorry siya sa akin at pinatawad ko na siya kasi naintindihin ko na ang posisyon niya dahil parehas kami ng kasarian.”

I was touched. “Halika nga dito.” He said and placed his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

“Swerte ko talaga Aubrey dahil nakilala kita. Alam mo, niligtas mo ako. Niligtas mo ako mula sa sarili ko. Thank you best. For everything.” He rested his forehead on my forehead. I could see in his eyes how happy he is.

“Oo pala best, punta ka pala bukas sa SM ng 5:00 ulit after ng class mo sa Tourism. May surpresa ako sa iyo doon. ”

“Ano na naman yan?”

“Basta, itetext kita para hindi mo na naman makalimutan!” he laughed and pinched my cheek.

“Che! You promise that it’s something important and not a waste of my precious time okay?” I jokingly said and lightly punched his tummy.

“Promise! Importanteng-importante ang pagkikita natin bukas.” He held up his hand and grinned. I didn’t ask him further questions but at the back of my head, I was curious and excited for tomorrow.

We both slept in his bed which was just right for the two of us. His room was cozy, it had that boyish charm and masculine hominess to it. I couldn’t sleep that night because he had his arm around me. We were facing each other but he was sleeping soundly which was kinda annoying because here I am staying up all night and it’s thanks to his snoring! I was about to remove his arm when he budged a little bit and he leaned towards my face but he didn’t kiss me. His lips were like inches away from mine. To be honest, seeing his face up close made my heart skip beat. I thought at that time that I wanted to kiss him for being too darn cute! Grrrr! I tried to shake this urge because I didn’t want to scare him from my malicious actions. His face was so cute and calm that I didn’t realize I was staring at him and then I fell asleep.

Next day. I arrived at SM late. Maybe that was 7:30 pm. Because I was the leader of our group and I had to come up for a presentation tomorrow. I didn’t had time to even check my phone because I was so busy and when I did check, I saw 15 messages and missed calls it was all from Mark. I felt guilty when I came at the food court and saw him sitting at one of the tables impatiently waiting for me.

“Bat ang tagal mo?? Nagtext ka man lang sana namalelate ka or paparating ka na!” he irritably said to me when I came up to him.

“Sorry, I was so caught up in our group’s preparation for tomorrow.”

“Sorry?? Yun lang? Gad! Muntik na akong umuwi kanina dahil nagmumukha na akong tanga dito sa kakahintay sa iyo at hindi ka man lang nagreply!” he walked pass me without looking back.

“Ano ba?! Don’t scream at me, a lot of people are staring at us!”

“Bakit? Nahihiya ka? Eh ikaw kaya ang nasa posisyon ko kanina. Hindi mo alam ang naramdaman ko sa kakahintay sa iyo.”

“I give up! I'm tired! Uwi na ako. Maiwan ka na diyan!” He wasn’t the only one irritated. I was so tired and stressed that time that I wasn’t in the mood to just listen and be scolded for just being late.

I went home and was surprised to see my friends Fe and Kristina waiting for me at the dorm’s entrance.

“Uy Brey! Kamusta naman ang revelation ni Mark sa ‘yo?” Fe asked.

“Revelation?” I was confused. Mark had a revelation for me?

“Gaga. Tinext niya sa amin kagabi na magaamin siya sa’yo. Kaya ka daw pinapunta doon sa SM kanina ay para sabihin sa iyo na may feelings siya for you Aubrey! Kamusta naman? Kwento ka please!” Kris asked me while we sat at the dorm’s sala.

I froze. I never knew he had something to say to me. No wonder he was so mad and frustrated to see me late. He wanted to tell me he had feelings for me. I felt really stupid for didn’t asking him why he was there in the first place! Grrr! I felt stupid! I hurriedly got my cellphone out my bag and dialed his number but he wasn’t answering. Maybe he was so mad at how I acted back at the mall. Gosh, I was so insensitive and didn’t it give much thought to why he was so mad at me.

Suddenly the dorm’s bell buzzed. Fe checked it out while I was still trying to contact Mark. Fe came back and she had that grin o her face that I didn’t forget up to this day.

“Aubrey, someone special is waiting for you outside.”

My heart raced. I hope its mark! Oh, who am I kidding, of course I want it to be MARK because I wanted to tell him so badly that I'm sorry and I had feelings for him as well. I quickly ran to the gate and swung it open. To my surprise, he was there at the waiting shed across the road with a teddy bear and a few roses in his hands. I felt my face just turned so red that I could feel steam coming out my mouth.

He approached me slowly with an apologetic look on his face. He let Kris hold the teddy bear and both she and Fe were giggling at my back.

“Best friend…pasensya ka na sa inaasta ko kanina, ako dapat---“

“I should be sorry because I made you wait for me well in fact you had something important to tell me and I was late and I even screamed at you Mark—“

“Aubrey, okay lang. Ako ang nagkamali na sigawan ka kanina.” he had shock written on his face.

“No…Both of us overreacted, Mark.”

This time he kinda looked uncomfortable and nervous. Quite like a teenage boy asking a girl out to senior prom.

“Sabihin mo na kasi Mark kay Aubrey.” Fe whispered to Mark. He gave the girls a goofy smile.

“Anong alam mo na sa sasabihin ko sa iyo?” he wasn’t looking at me in the eyes like he always would and man…He was really blushing!

“Konti lang. Don’t tell me nahihiya ka kina Kris at Fe?” I jokingly said but inside I wanted to hug him and kiss him and say that I love him. I assumed he knew that Fe and Kris told me about his revelations.

“Eh hindi ko alam na kasama sila sa pagaamin ko tungkol sa…” he blew out some air then he courageously looked at me and continued.

“….feelings ko para sa iyo. ”

Call me overreacting but I was seriously about to die at that moment. I couldn’t even breathe when he said that.

“Aubrey, being your best friend wasn’t enough, I really liked you since we became friends hanggang sa narealize ko na nainlove ako sa iyo. Dahil siguro mabait ka, palatawa, komportable sa sarili at most importantly, tinanggap mo ako sa buhay mo.” He held my hand which was obviously shaking from too much kilig.

“Alam mo, ikaw yung inspirasyon ko para tanggapin ko ang sarili ko at magmove-on sa aking past with my dad kasi nandiyan ka lang lagi para suportahan ako and I'm really thankful for that.” He pulled my face closer to his with his two hands. The girls at the back were screaming in sheer kilig ecstasy.

“I love you Aubrey and I want to be your boyfriend.” He kissed me on the lips for 10 seconds and I didn’t bother to move because I was so happy that the boy I like has feelings for me!

“Huy!” Marked snapped me out of his trance because I had my eyes closed after we kissed.

“Kinabahan ako sa’yo Brey! Akala ko kung anong nangyari sa iyo. :)”

“Gago! Kaw kasi.” I lightly tapped his arm which was still embracing my hips. He laughed.

“So…mahal mo ba rin ako babe?”

BABE???!!!! Can this guy just kill me now on the spot!

“Yeah…I love you too Mark! I love you too Babe!” his eyes sparkled and he was about to kiss me when I stopped him.

“Teka! Baka matuluyan ako sa gagawin mo eh!!!!” he laughed again and kissed me anyway.

Mark is still my boyfriend up to now and both our families were happy for each of us. You can say our love story is kinda cheesy but I didn’t want it be cheesy, it just did and the funny thing about love is that it can sometimes be unexpected and you never realize it until you feel the same way.

That’s it for now and Mark had a hard time typing the rest of the story for me and he says he wishes the best for all the people out there to find their one true love like he found his. He also says that sometimes the person you least expect might even be the person who will change your life forever. <3